THE
DALÓR
INSECT
("SPARKER") |
The
elves call these small
insects Dalór (Styrásh
dalór,"rising/moving
spark") while the humans
call them "Sparkers" and the
northern barbarians "Aek'oriot".
Whatever their name, few can watch the twinkling tapestry of blinking lights
without being moved by it.
Appearance.
There are many types of Dalór and each differs slightly depending on their
habitat. In general, they range in size from just under a nailsbreadth to a
little over two nailsbreadths. They have soft-shelled bodies, which are flat and
brown or black in color. Most have markings on their thorax or backside areas.
They have six legs, small heads and thorax with the majority of length in their
backsides. They also have translucent wings that fold under the shells of their
abdomen.
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The forest Dalór is a nailsbreadth long and black in color with luminescent
green markings on the backsides. They prefer to come out late at night and their
flash has a green coloring. They usually start appearing in late spring and are
gone by the middle of summer.
The plains Dalór can be broken up into two groups, the northern and southern.
They both are two nailsbreadths long and a gray brown in color. The southern
ones have orange markings on their thorax and backsides and give off a clear
white flash. The northern ones have dark red markings on their backsides and
give off a white flash that have tinges of amber to it. They both prefer to come
out at dusk until late night. They also start to appear in late spring and last
until late summer.
The water Dalór are so named because they are only seen flying over water
sources, such as ponds, oases or rivers. They are a dark
brown and just about a nailsbreadth long. They have white or yellowish-white
markings on their thorax and backsides and give off a soft yellow flash. They
are most commonly seen at dusk and just before sunrise. Dalór
also appear only a few weeks in early spring and in late fall.
All Dalór begin life in a larva stage, known as glowworms, and look basically
the same. They are a yellowish white in color when seen in the day and ridged
along their length making them appear segmented. At night these larval worms
glow white with a greenish tint to it. Until recently, Dalór and glowworms were
considered two separate insects.
Special Abilities.
The Dalór has the ability to make the underside of their abdomen to glow, which
they blink off and on at will. They use a pattern of flashes as love calls to
find mates or as a signal of danger to other Dalór. For example, if a Dalór is
trapped in some way the pattern will tell others to stay away. The flashes also
are a kind of warning to birds and other insects that they are not good to eat,
as the chemical to make these flashes is very bitter.
Territory.
The Dalór can be found from the oases of Aeruillin in the south to the fringes
of the Plain of Ehelvin in
Northern Sarvonia and
from the Isles of R'unor
in the east to the western shores of Nybelmar.
Habitat/Behaviour.
The Dalór are nocturnal insects
and do all their mating, feeding and movement then. During daylight hours, the
Dalór sleeps in bushes or on the leaves of low hanging trees. Mature Dalór live
only a few short weeks. During that time their whole existence is eating to
maintain energy, mate and lay the eggs of their young. The young, or glowworms,
can live up to a year in the ground. The last month is in a silk cocoon where it
metamorphoses into a mature Dalór to emerge above ground. Most prefer to be
close to a water source of some kind. Except for the water Dalór, this is not a
requirement, but higher concentrations of insects can be found near these water
sources.
Diet.
The Dalór is believed to feast on pollen and nectar. The larvae, on the other
hand, live in the ground and feed on snails and slugs. The larvae are able to
detect the trails of their prey, and follow them until the catch is made. They
then inject a substance into their prey, which immobilizes it.
Mating.
As stated the flash of the Dalór is a love call and is the way they find each
other for mating. Both male and females flash, using a personal code during
courtship. When two seem to match up in this code they will then mate several
times during the next few days. The ones flashing in flight are the males, while
the females sit in the tall grasses or on leaves and respond by flashing their
light. Female Dalór produce about 500 eggs, which they commonly lay on the
underside of leaves, in-groups of five to seven. This is done throughout the
respective season of their type. Within ten days, the eggs turn to larva, where
they fall to the ground and begin the next life cycle of a Dalór.
Information provided by
Thuja
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